Modi group removes RCA president

A day after he suspended two members of the body, Rajasthan Cricket Association president Sanjay Dixit was today removed from the President's post by the passing of a no-confidence motion against him by the Lalit Modi-backed rival faction.

Ever since Modi lost to Dixit in the RCA elections earlier this year, there has been a constant tug-of-war between the two groups of the body.

These increasing number of dissidents later compelled the new RCA office bearers to withdraw its notice for elections to the secretary's post which was lying vacant after Ashok Ohri's resignation and even called of its AGM.

However, the rival group, which includes Kishore Rungta, former secretary Subhash Joshi, Ohri and also former deputy president Bimal Soni, went on with the meeting citing that the notice for AGM once served cannot be withdrawn.

During the meeting, Joshi said the no confidence motion against Dixit brought in by the president of Sri Ganganagar District Association, Mehmood Abdi was accepted by the 20-member house.

"Since the majority did not have confidence in Sanjay Dixit, he was removed from the president's post and fresh election for the post would be held on October 14 under supervision of former Supreme Court Justice R S Lahoti.

"All the decisions taken by Sanjay Dixit after March 29, the day on which he took charge, are revoked including the formation of various committees and also the suspension of Bimal Roy Soni and Shamsher Singh," said Joshi after the meeting.

"The vice president Rajendra Singh Rathore would represent the RCA in the BCCI AGM on September 24 and secretary's power has been given to Giriraj Sanadya for now," he added.

Dixit yesterday suspended Soni and Samsher Singh from the RCA for their continual outbursts against the body.

Reacting to the news of his removal, Dixit said the move was unconstitutional and there was money involved in wooing the district associations.

"They have been trying out everything to unsettle RCA. There has been the lure of money to woo districts. We have recorded the dialogue between Rajkumar Mathur, one of the district officials, who was offered a sum of 5-6 lakhs to sign on the papers which were meant to send a certain person to the BCCI meeting," he said while distributing a CD containing dialogue between Modi's close associate Amin Pathan and Mathur.

"The so called meeting has no validity. The RCA elections were held under the supervision of Supreme Court and it is functioning through its mandate. There is no provision of a 'no confidence motion' in the Sports Act of the state or in the constitution of RCA.

"We had an emergency meeting of the executive committee, which has decided to serve show cause notices to the people involved in disgracing the RCA," Dixit added.